Wardrobe suitcase having pivotal frame for mounting garment-hanger supporting bars



Oct. 17, 1950 M. P. KOCH 2, 26

1 WARDROBE SUITCASE HAVING PIVOTAL FRAMEFOR MOUNTING GARMENT-HANGER SUPPORTINQBARS Filed Dec. 7, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2 I 3'9 30 5 5 14 35 50 5 u -i H II INVENTOR.

MAURICE R KOCH ATTORNEY Oct. 17, 1950 Filed Dec. '7, 1946 M. P. KOCH WARDROBE SUITCASE HAVING PIVOTAL FRAME FOR MOUNTING GARMENT-HANGER SUPPORTING BARS f 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.7

INVENTOR.- MAURICE R KOCH ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 17, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WARDROBE SUITCASE HAVING PIVOTAL FRAME FOR MOUNTING GARMENT-HANG- ER SUPPORTING BARS My invention relates to wardrobe suitcases, and fixtures for the same.

An object of this invention is to provide a suitcase of light construction but somewhat longer than the ordinary suitcases, in which a number of garments may be packed on hangers supported on a pivoted frame without wrinkling the same.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pivoted frame within'a suitcase adapted to carry. a' number of garment hangers upon which the garments may be hung and folded over bars on said frame, so as to be packed in a comparatively narrow space without wrinkling.

Another object of this invention is to provide a frame within said suitcase which frame has means for adjustably carrying garment hangers so as to accommodate garments of various lengths or to space garments in desired. order.

Another object of this invention is to provide a frame within said suitcase which frame has a plurality of spaced engagement means on the longitudinal members thereof adapted to receive the ends of adjustable cross-members for carrying garment hangers thereon.

In this specification, and the annexed drawings, the invention is illustrated in the form considered to be the best, but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to such form, because it may be embodied in other forms; and it is also to be understood that in and by the claims following the description, it is desired to cover the invention in whatsoever form it may be embodied.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description, reference is had tothe accompanying drawings for the illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the open suitcase.

Fig. 2 is a side view of an adjustable cross-bar, some parts being shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of some parts being shown in section;

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the garment hanger attaching means on the cross-bar.

Fig. 5 is a front view of the suitcase showing the garment supporting frame swung into the cover and holding a plurality of garments, the body of the suitcase being shown in section.

Fig. 6 is a front view of the suitcase showing a modified garment supporting frame swung into the cover and holding a plurality of garments, the body of the suitcase being shown in section.

the adjustable cross-bar,

Fig. 7 is a cross-section taken along the line wardrobe suitcase which has a body section I and a cover section 2, suitably hinged at 3 where the narrow sides 5 and 6 of said sections 1 and 2 meet respectively. This suitcase is preferably of substantially full wardrobe length, but of light construction, so that it maybe carried in hand by its handle 8, on one side of said body section I. Usual locks in are also provided on said suitcase to lock the sections together.

Within the cover section 2 there is provided a swingable garment supporting frame I2 consisting of two parallel longitudinal side beams l3 and i4 conneotedby a cross-piece l5 at the end adjacent the hinged sides 5 and 6. The

free ends of said beams 13 and I4 are connected by a cross-rod ll, the ends of which protrude slightly beyond said beams. When the frame I2 is swung, for the purpose of packing, out of the cover section 2 over and into the body section I, the ends of the cross-rod ll rest on lugs l8 attached to the inner surfaces of the side walls l9 and 20 of said body section l.

The frame 12 is further strengthened by a plurality of parallel transverse braces 22 which extend from the beam iii to the beam I4, and which are attached to the front sides of said beams as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and '7. The braces 22 are spaced from each other and are intended to support the garments while the same are being put on the frame and when said frame rests in the cover section 2.

From the hinged ends of the beams I3 and I4 extend arms 24 which arms 24 are pivoted to the cover section 2 as shown at 25. The arms 24 are preferably connected by a brace 26.

In the beams 13 and H! are pairs of opposed and spaced'slots 21 of uniform size. The slots 2'! are adapted to hold the ends of adjustable cross-bars 29. Each cross-bar 29 consists of a flat bar 30 one end of which is bent into a hook 3|. The other end of said bar carries a spring 32 thereon and is inserted into a sleeve 34 slidable over said bar. The sleeve 34 has a rim 35 bent toward said bar 30 to enclose said spring 32. The bar 3!! terminates with an abutment 36 to confine the spring 32 between said abutment and the bent rim 35 of the sleeve 34.. The sleeve 34 is attached by a pin 38 to the hub of a hook 39 which is substantially of the same shape and size as the hook 3|. The spring 32 provides extensible connection between the hook 39 and the bar and permits said cross-bar 29 to be attached to the frame l2 at any desired place by inserting the hook 3| into one of the slots 21 in the beam M, pulling the hook 39 outwardly and placing the end of the latter into the opposite slot 27 in the beam [3. The spring 32 pulls the hook 39 into said slot and securely holds the same therein.

The cross-bar 29 is provided with a lock knob 4| by which a suitable garment hanger 42 is held on the cross-bar. The hanger 42 in-this illustration comprises a straight rod ie, the ends of which are bent to form shoulder portions 45 at the apex of which is arranged a square flat plate ii having inverted T-shaped slot 48 therein. The slot is passed over the knob 41 whereupon said knob is turned a quarter of a turn for the purpose of locking said hanger to the cross-bar as shown in Fig. 4.

The cross-bar 29 may also be used to keep the garments securely in place. Fig. 5 shows a plurality of spaced cross-bars 29 with the hangers 42 attached, each or which hangers carries a garment 59. The top-most garment 50 is wrapped around the cross-rod i and the end of said garment is held in place by the top crossbar 29.

A plurality of the hangers 52 may be retained on a bracket 52 attached to the middle of the top cross-piece 55 at right angles to the plane of the frame ii. The bracket has guiding and retaining means for stacking said hangers 42 thereon. In the herein illustration the bracket 52 is made in the form of an angular loop, one end of which is secured to the middle of the cross-piece iii. The other end 53 is slotted so as to fit the inverted T-slot 68 of the hangers. A retainer side 5 and the back side as connects said ends of the bracket 52. The plate ll of the hangers i2 are slid over the end or" the bracket 42 and are retained by the retainer side 56% of said bracket. The hanger a2 has a hook 55 pivoted to the plate 41 by m ans of which said hanger may be suspended on a bar, or any other support outside I the suitcase.

The frame E2 is shown in Fig. 1 in packing position in which the free end of said frame rests on the lugs 18. To pack said frame, coats, jackets, and the like, are first hung on a hanger s2 re tained by the bracket Their ends may be wrapped around one of the braces 22 if desired. Then one of the cross-bars 25} is secured to the frame I2 by inserting the hooks SI and 39 into a pair of opposed slots 2? and a hanger 2 carrying one or more garments is attached to said cross-bar. Other crossbars 29 are attached to said frame i2 and the hangers i2 with the garments thereon are fastened to said bars. If desired one or more cross-bars 29 may be used for the support of the garments carried by said hangers. As shown in Fig. 5 the garment supporting frame is may be packed "a a different manner by attaching in close proximity to the cross-rod ll, one of the cross-bars 29 to the under side of the beams is and i 2%, instead of the top side of the same as shown in Fig. l. The hanger 132 with the garments thereon is th reupon attached to said cross-bar 2t, the loose ends of said garments may be wrapped around the cross-rod ll and secured in their position by one of the crossbars 29. Another crossbar 29 is then attached to said beams between the first mentioned cross-bar 29 and the bracket 52, and a hanger G2 is attached thereto. The garments supported by the latter hanger are placed on the first mentioned garments. Then a hanger 42 with the garments thereon is slid on the bracket 52. The latter garments are placed on the previously packed garments. One or more cross-bars 29 are used to hold the garments in place by attaching the same to the top side of the beams l3 and it.

When the garments have been packed the frame 12 is swung into the cover section 2 of the wardrobe suitcase wherein the protruding ends of the cross-rod I? are caught and. securely retained by suitable spring catchers 58.

The garments can be easily removed from the pack and stored. The packing is compact and smooth and is entirely within one section only of the wardrobe suitcase, and no garment overhangs into the other section. The entire wardrobe suitcase is comparatively light, is easily carried and can be speedily packed and unpacked. The same hangers can also be used for the usual hanging of garments outside of the wardrobe suitcase by turning the hanger hooks degrees, yet a comparatively large number of such hangers with garments thereon can be conveniently packed on the frame and in the wardrobe suit case herein described. The garments are confined within the cover section, thus leaving the entire body section of the wardrobe suitcase for packing other articles therein. Fig. 6 shows a modified form of my invention wherein the frame i2 consists of two beams 6i! and 6E so arranged that their wide surfaces 52 are parallel to the bottom, or the top, of the wardrobe suitcase, depending upon the position of the frame in said case. The beams 89 and 55 are provided With spaced pairs of opposed slots E3 cut at right angles to said surfaces 52. The slots $3 admit the bent ends 8 5 of the extensible cross-bars Q5.

The frame i2 is packed in the same manner as the frame 92 and is normally retained in the cover section 2 of the wardrobe suitcase leaving the body section for other articles.

I claim:

1. A wardrobe suitcase comprising a body section, a cover section, and a garment supporting frame extending substantially the entire length of the cover section and being fulcrumed adjacent an end of the cover section; said frame including a pair of spaced parallel side bars; means for connecting the same; each of said side bars having a plurality of spaced slots therein; extensible cross-bars, the ends of said cross-bars having means to fit into said slots selectively from either side of the frame; and means on the crossbars for holding garment hangers thereon.

2. A wardrobe suitcase comprising an elongated body section, an elongated cover section, and an elongated garment sup-porting frame pivoted to one end of the cover section, so as to be swingable into and out of said cover section; said frame including two parallel side members; a plurality of transverse braces affixed to said side members and connecting the same; a plurality of adjustable cross-bars; means for detachably connecting said cross-bars to said side members, said means including hooks on the ends of each crossbar offset to one side of a plane containing the cross-bar and-engaging saidside members selectively from either side of the frame, thereby positioning said cross-bar out of the plane of said frame on the respective selected side of said frame, and means on said cross-bars for holding garment hangers thereon.

MAURICE P. KOCH.

(References on following page) REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Bosque June 23, 1931 Wheary Aug. 12, 1932 Number Name Date Wheary July 18, 1933 Wheary Mar. 13, 1934 Wintz Dec. 15, 1936 Blumenthil Sept. 27, 1938 Peshe-k et a1. May 16, 1939 Ritter June 9, 1942 Miller Apr. 22, 1947 

